Process for recovering solid or liquid matter from a solution or semisolution containing same



Agn. FEST.

PROCESS FOR RECOVERING SOLID ORLIQUID MATTER FROM A SOLUTION 0R SENIISOLUTION CONTAINING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9.1919- g, Patented May 2, i922.,

l l n PROCS FOR BEG NET v .E-Jplieation le June 9,

respectively.

It is old to effect such separation by means of heated air or any other suitable gas having an avidity for water, and at any desired temperature, theair or into contact with a finely divided spray of the liquid to be desiccated. By this contact the airor gas takes up the moisture` from the I liquor and the solid Vor liquid constituents volumes of the air or gas.

fall to the bottom or can be removed other- Manifold variation(h of apparatus and and do not require a special dcription.

vSoffar as I know, in all. of the proposed processes the separation of the solid or liquid matter from the, water is either imperfect `(filters have been suggesed toimprove this somewhat) or the air or gas is not utilizedto full capacity and eiciency, or both, so that for a great Vmany purposes the above-referied-to processes cannot successfully be use The chief objects of my invention areV to e'ect, in a simple and economical manner, a complete separation of the solid or liquid constituents vof the liquor from the water, Without prior concentration or subsequent filtration, and to do so while iobtaining the highest eiiiciency of the air o1' ges used as a medium for separation, reducing the cost incident to heating and moving large These improvements over the old art are obtained by subjecting the/air or gas mixed with the spray to a length or prolonging of the timeof its action upon the liquid to be desiccated. rlhis may be eeetive by reduction of the velocity of the air or gas stream, after being mixed with the spray, by conducting the through a series of separating units before it is nally dis- @ecication of Letters Patent.

being brought A the spray.

i SGLID 0E LIQUID MATT FROM A SOLUTION. 0R SEMI- SLUTION CONTINDTGSME.

yatented May 2, 31922. 191e. serial no. 302,823.

charged. Other methods also may be-available, and I am suggesting the above as a convenient illustration ,of the principle which may be employed.

.By this lprolonged time of action of the air or gasA upon the sprayed liquid each individual minute globule of the spray is q acted upon more effectively and more thoroughly than under the old art so that the separation is not only more complete, but the air or gas is given opportunity lto take up as much moisture as it can hold at a given temperature and consequently the highest degree of efficiency for Vthe air or gas 1s obtained. Any excess or any lack vof air or gas in one spray'r unit will Vhe equalized inthe series of spray units through the mixing of the various incoming sprays and a uniform separation will be efected. In the old art the time of action of either a portion of the air or gas escapes entirely unused, or` escapes: not completely saturated with water vapors at its then temperature.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, I have shown apparatus illustrating the method of operation hereinabove mentioned. The drawing is a vertical' longitudinal section through such fragmentary parts of the device as are suilicient to show both an ap- 'proved arrangement and construction and also the process involved. The device is in the form of a. sexies of somewhat independent units. the units, being connected howeveqr, for the passage of the mixture from one to the other in sequence, thus prolongingthe time of action by the air or gas upon The structure illustrated comprises a housing divided into two principal compartments E'and F. The solution containing the solid .or liquid matter is sprayed into 'the chambers E and F by the nozzles 10, and air or gas 100 enters through the pipes 1l enlarged at' l2 so that the air or gas may enter the spraying chambers E and F over a relatively wide area through the foraminous Walls 13.

Between the chambers E and F is the 105 chamber G, and the mixture from the chamber E is retarded there somewhat, and substantially the proportiongof recovery which has heretofore been made in devices of this Akind will be had from the chamber G. The 11o l an' or gas upon the spray is so short that flow continues, however, out of the chamber G into the chamber F, and thence, together ywith a fresh discharge into the chamber F,

goes into the chamber H, which is to be un derstood as being in all material respects like the chamber Gr, but it may be larger, and so on, my improvements contemplatlng a series of units such as E-G -and F-H, the air or gas being finally discharged through the opening 40 controlled by the valve 41. The mixture is thus 'maintained in the device for a relatively long period of time and the spray is `acted upon bythe air or gas to the latters full capacity and the desired complete separation thereby 0btained. l

It is to be understood that although l have shown only one nozzle and one air intake in each of the spray chambers, in practice there Will be any desired number of these nozzlesand air or gas intakes according to the desired capacity of the. machine.

The spray nozzles and air intakes shown are to be understood as representing a series of each. These nozzles and air intakes may be side by side or above each other, and it is only necessary to increase the depth or height of the casing to provide for any desired number of the intake elements. Itis only a matter 'of mechanical skill to increasel the capacity of the illustrated device as may4 Abe desired, in view ofthe teachings herein contained.

No specific instructions need to be given 1n regard to the spraying device, as any of the well-known sprayers employed for such l l purposes may be employed.

According to these improvements not only is'lone able to obtain a higher degree of efficiency in a more complete recovery of the solids or liquidsand at a less cost, than heretofore, but the feature of completely utilizlng the gas or au' makes it feasible to apply i the process to the recovery of relatively low grade materials where the cost of operation according to prior processes and apparatus Uwould be prohibitive. For instance, in the paper making industry large quantities of 'wasteliquor are daily discharged into the water courses and only a cheap method would justify theeffortfor'the recovery of i its` ingredients. In this connection it is pointed out that the heating of air or gas to,such a degree as .gives it the'property of absorbing moisture to an effective` extent is quite expensive, and in the paper making -industry large volumes of the Waste liquor would be passed through the device. vBy

- utilizing heated air which is to be had from the furnace ofthe paper mill, or from any other sources, and winch can be obtained at about the temperature of 300o F., the

second mixin nausea product is relatively high the principal advantages of these improvements are in the production of a higher percentage of the product than heretofore, and at a lower cost.

l claim:

1. rlhe method of recovering solid or liquid matter from solutionsor semi-solutions containing same which consists in spraying the solution or semi-solution into a mixing chamber, admitting as 'a continuous process into the mixing chamber substantially suchy l a quantity of air or gas capable of absorbing the moisture of the spray as to-produce after desiccation an air or gas saturated or substantially saturated with water vapors at a given drying temperature, conducting the mixture thus formed into a. collecting chamber, conducting the air orlgas and such spray as may be contained therein into a chamber, admitting spray from the liquid or semi-liquid and also a proportionate amount of air or gas into the second mixing chamber as a continuous process, conducting the air or gas and spray into a second collecting chamber and finally exhausting the air or gas containing moisture from the last mentioned chamber.

2. The method of recovering solid ,or liq- -into a plurality of mixing chambers spaced apart and arranged-in a series, admitting as a contlnuousj process into the mixing 4chambers respectively substantially such a quantity of air o r gas capableof absorbing 'themoisture of the spray as to produce after desiccation air or gas saturated or substan'- tially saturated with water vapors at a given drying temperature, conducting the mixture from the first mixing chamber of the'series into a collecting chamber, conducting the air or gas and such spray as may be contained therein from said collecting chamber into the second mixing chamber of the series, conducting the mixture from said second mixing chamber together with the' discharge thereinto from said first men'- tioned collecting chamber into a second cogli/L lecting chamber, and so on throughout 'th series, and finally exhausting the air or-g containing moisture frompthe v,last chamber of the series.

y .ADoLrnn FEST. 

